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Wednesday, February 25, 2015

[THIMPHU] Land of the Thunder Dragon

Driving
to Thimphu was as scenic as it could be in terms of the view outside, and very
informative thanks to my guide. Dorji hails from the eastern part of Bhutan but
makes a living in the capital as a freelance tour guide. He is like a walking
Wikipedia article on everything Bhutan, especially on the subject of Buddhism which seems to be
his favorite. That was a welcome change because I am also
interested in Buddhism, as opposed to the favorite topic of some tour guides
which happens to be Politics.

“Westerners
say we are like the second Switzerland,” he said. I have not been to
Switzerland, but I could imagine it to be similar. Those mountains offer
not just a majestic background for your selfie, but also natural protection for
its inhabitants. Just ask the Tibetans who have tried many times to invade back
then, but ended up going home to Mommy in tears. The Brits tried to do the
same and also came back home weeping, but with a British accent.

The
country is often referred to as the Land of the Thunder Dragon and it is not that
hard to imagine Seiryu flying over those hills hurling lightning bolts at
unsuspecting Tibetans for fun. I always compare Bhutan to North Korea due to
the exorbitant fees you have to pay and their reclusivity, but the
comparison ends right there. If I am to choose between the Thunder Dragon and
Kim Jong Un’s haircut, my choice would be quite easy to guess.

Yes
we could argue that both countries seem to be stuck in a time loop due to their
reluctance to completely open up to the modern world. But Pyongyang looks like
an impoverished city stuck in the Soviet Era; Thimphu, on the other hand, is a Shangri-La
that just wants to preserve its simple way of life. This is why they invented
the concept of Gross National Happiness as an indicator of their collective well-being. We could not really apply that concept to North Korea without laughing
our asses off, no matter how brutally hilarious the truth appears to be.

But
enough with the illogical comparisons! Did I mention that the restaurant where
we had lunch charged me 100 Ngultrums for a glass of Coke? I am not
complaining, but why do tour packages discriminate against drinks by not
including them in the total cost of the tour? Are drinks not worthy of
belonging to a tour package just as much as the main course and desserts do? I
am just concerned about the feelings of the drinks here, okay. For me, that’s
tantamount to bullying.

And
so that was the first dilemma of the day. I had USD480 and BDT300 in my wallet,
the former just enough for the payment of the tour package itself. Since the
waitress would not accept Takas, I ended up paying her with the single USD10
bill that I had. Later on I tried to exchange my BDT to BNT, but the bank said
no. Wow, these SAARC countries really hate each other’s currencies that much.
And so Dorji and I ended up hunting for an ATM that accepts Cirrus cards.

I
inserted it once, twice and a couple more times, each one more aggressive than
the last, heaving a deep sigh with every thrust, imagining that it won’t be too
long before the much anticipated release. Word of advice to Filipinos traveling
to Bhutan: Your BPI Express Teller card, or any other Cirrus card for that
matter, would only be accepted by Punjab National Bank’s ATM. The others are
all local and picky, allowing only MasterCard/Visa to be inserted into their
slots before they release your cash. #bhutan50shadesofgrey

But
that ATM hunt happened after the city tour, which started after lunch. The National
Memorial Choeten, a giant white stupa erected in honor of the third King of
Bhutan, was the first stop. The reigning monarch is the fifth one, in case you
didn’t know. Anyway, you would not be that overwhelmed if you have already been
to Myanmar, particularly that one in Mandalay with hundreds of stupas lined up
to form an amazing sight. Thimphu’s is impressive because of its size, and its
role as an integral part of daily community life.

Dorji
explained how those Buddhist wheels work. In case you are not familiar with
them, they are those brightly colored cylinders which vary in size and should
be rotated clockwise in order to bring you good luck. If you rotate it
counterclockwise, Kris Aquino will suddenly appear and tell you about the latest
update regarding her love life. It’s not uncommon to see locals gathering at
the said area, with some of them just passing by at certain times of the day to
pay their respects before moving on with their lives.

The
next stop was Buddha himself. Dorji reiterated the difference between the first
Buddha and the second one. The one present in this next stop is the first one,
Siddharta Gautama himself, seated in lotus position and looking after Thimphu
from high above the ground. It gets very windy there so make sure you are
properly dressed. Feel free to don your latest swimwear if you are suicidal and
want to do die of pneumonia the following day. It would be a lot better if you
are insured.

The
next stop had nothing to do with Buddhism, unless you consider a Takin as a
relevant part of that belief system. Considered as the national animal of
Bhutan, this mammal is an odd looking one. It somehow looks like a goat, but as
big as a cow, and with horns similar to a Tamaraw. Sorry, just look at the
picture below because my brain is hemorrhaging right now trying to find the right
adjective to describe this creature. There were many of them that day, just
hanging out in the open doing each other’s pedicure while talking about Kris
Aquino’s love life.

We
checked in at the hotel after that, in an attempt to freshen up before we pay a
visit to one of the country’s most recognizable landmarks: the Tashichho Dzong,
which is right across the Parliament and the residence of the king. In any
case, the two buildings look alike and stay true to traditional Bhutanese
architecture. I think most of them house a temple which warrants such
interesting design. We had to wait before the civil servants ended their day’s
work before we could get in.

Inside,
we were allowed to see the temple but not take either photo or video. Security is
strict and you have to go through x-ray machines as if checking in at the
airport. The complex houses a big temple as well as some of the important
administrative departments of the country, which explains the tight security.
The king himself is said to frequent the place, given his role and the
proximity of his humble palace. Dorji started to lecture me about Buddhism
again, and I found it really interesting to say the least.

It
is unfortunate that I forgot almost everything he said. I mean, my brain
could only process so much in any given time, and the information overload was
rather overwhelming. Suffice it to say that I got the bigger picture regarding
what he was trying to say. The one that stuck with me most was the bit about
anger and how it could be controlled. Now how much do I need that advice,
right? At least I am living Bhutan with a better philosophy on how to handle my
everyday affairs.

The
day and our Thimphu trip ended in a local restaurant where we were served local
cuisine. I really loved the potatoes they served us. The soup tasted good but
left a tingling sensation in my lips, perhaps because of the mild spiciness. For
a while there I thought the waitress was doing some weird voodoo on me. Anyway,
I am just glad that we got to see Thimphu too, because I thought this tour
package was all about Paro. It really offers a good perspective on how Bhutan
is as a nation.